Macro photography setup software#
Macro photography setup series#

Position lights as close to the subject as possible, using a Gorillapod or miniature tripod, and experiment. Fortunately, as insects are tiny, ordinary flashguns are just right. To get the depth of field you need itвЂ™s important to use flash, as there wonвЂ™t be enough ambient light to shoot at a smaller aperture. Set your exposure manually, otherwise you risk variation between frames.

You might not use all images for your stack, but you want to have as many options as possible. Take as many images as you can, while moving as little as possible with your adjustment plate. Use a cable release or the timer setting on your camera to ensure thereвЂ™s no movement of the camera itself. In this way you donвЂ™t have to worry about accidentally bumping into equipment, disturbing the insect and ruining the shot. Set up the camera as close as possible to the subject so you can withdraw from it, rather than approach. Manually adjusting focus in small enough increments using the focus barrel on the lens is almost impossible. Do this by moving the camera a tiny amount either towards or away from the subject using a micro-adjustment plate.

Macro photography setup series#

The aim of stacking is to create a series of almost identical images, where you move the focus in tiny increments across the image to give you enough material to stitch together in the computer to achieve enough depth of field in your image. TechniqueДЄ micro-adjustment plate will allow you to adjust focus preciselyД¬onsistency is key. This is where a camera with a large megapixel count, like my 42.4-million-pixel Sony Alpha 7R II, comes in handy. YouвЂ™ll find that stitching may adjust your crop as well, so the more room you leave yourself, the more flexibility youвЂ™ll have to create a pleasing final composition. Be aware that youвЂ™ll need to use quite a heavy crop on the images because the extension tubes will protrude into your frame. When setting up the shot, leave as much space as possible around the subject. The eyes and mouths of insects are fantastic focal points, but claws, mandibles and hair can all be used as powerful reference points. Good composition can be the difference between the image being just a scientific record and something wholly more engaging and more aesthetically pleasing.ДЇor insects, use low angles looking up at the subject and it will appear more dynamic. These can be picked up reasonably cheaply, while a simple 50mm prime is a good starting point as your lens.

To achieve the incredible close focusing, youвЂ™ll want to use a series of extension tubes to sit between your lens and camera. Tape everything you can down: I stress-test my kit set-up before I begin, so if I do knock something I know everything will stay in place. I highly recommend using a geared tripod head that allows you to make small and accurate adjustments to the camera position, as this will save you time when it comes to composition. At the very least, youвЂ™ll want a heavy tripod and a sturdy table that wonвЂ™t move. YouвЂ™ll need a spacious work area, where no one will disturb your equipment, and youвЂ™ll need space to move around without accidentally hitting anything. To achieve this, you need to make sure you take care to set things up properly.

Macro photography setup software#

WhatвЂ™s important to keep in mind is that your composition and exposure for every image in the series need to be consistent, so when you come to post-production the software will seamlessly create the final image. A mock-up of camera and flash positioning